Keep Stabil in your gas!!! The "Gasoline" we get these days often has ethanol in it which absorbs moisture and generally ages much faster than "good old gas". When storing, consider doubling up on the Stabil or using marine Stabil which has superior moisture handling abilities.

- Conventional generators (technically alternators) with brushes and slip rings need to be kept clean and stored in a non-corrosive environment. Also they should be used several times a year to keep the brushes from sticking and slip rings from corroding. Fail to care for a conventional generator may well lead to output such as posted by Johnshan in another thread. He posted this image of his generator output:

No electrical device sans a plain old light bulb should every be supplied with power like that!

- Brushless generators seldom have any such problems since there is nothing to cause intermittent problems. Just run the engine a few times a year.

- Inverters or inverter generators MUST be pure sine wave. Modified sine wave will confuse electronic controls and often make equipment hum. Also, oversize such a unit since the electronics in them often don't cope with surges or non-linear loads well.

Whatever you use, start it, load it and be sure it is in good condition before you need it!

gerry, I encourage you to find another common household generator that doesn't supply that kind of a waveform- post some testing images to back yourself up instead of just talking. I have no issues with running anything from my generator except the coaltrol.

Also, do you know how to post photos in an online forum? It's pretty easy......

Johnshan wrote:gerry, I encourage you to find another common household generator that doesn't supply that kind of a waveform- post some testing images to back yourself up instead of just talking. I have no issues with running anything from my generator except the coaltrol.

Also, do you know how to post photos in an online forum? It's pretty easy......

Not sure where that comment came from since I have never had a problem not a "dirty power" and yes, I know how to photos. Actually, in this thread I linked to another members photo in another thread, now apparently gone or moved which had really dirty power. I don't know why the image disappeared from this topic unless the other thread was changed. It wasn't my photo so I linked to it.

My main generator(wired into the my multiple circuit changeover box (so I can shed loads) is a high end brussless Yamaha EF5200! I have tried a cheap ETQ 1800 watt brushed generator and a Statpower PROsine 1800 inverter as well as tests. All were in good condition and had clean output.

Actually, for unattended operation. the PROsine 1800 is ideal! Should the batteries run dead and fire go out, that inverter requires manual reset after low voltage shutdown. Should the power be restored, the stove doesn't dump unburned coal. Actually it would be nice if the stove didn't feed after a "fire out" situation.

The only problem I have yet encountered is I try to operate too many/heavy switching power supplies at one time off a generator. Computers, the 60A charger for my battery bank... Many modern electronics have a diode bridge - capacitor input circuit which puts the maximum current at the voltage peak, thus flattening the voltage peak. This didn't bother the Coal-Trol since I still have a smooth slope but does upset one of my computer power two APC UPS's with boost/buck circuits.

Johnshan wrote:gerry, I encourage you to find another common household generator that doesn't supply that kind of a waveform- post some testing images to back yourself up instead of just talking. I have no issues with running anything from my generator except the coaltrol.

Also, do you know how to post photos in an online forum? It's pretty easy......

Johnshan,

Actually the photo I posted was a BB link to your generator power photo. For some reason, the link was broken in the this forum. That generator was clearly in poor shape! I have to give you copyright credit, it wasn't my photo.